Strong Foundations 
Tonight at Yoga Lab 
5:45 – 7:15pm

“Roots”
 
The Great Banyan Tree in Kolkata India has approximately 3618 prop roots
Its canopy covers 1300 square feet
It has expanded way beyond the boundary of a small green fence
What looks like a grove of separate trees is actually ONE organism 
Sharing a common root structure
 
What a reminder of interconnectedness
 
To go back to your roots
Return to the source
A compassionate recognition of interbeing
Not division, not separation
Not a wall or a fence
 
Root down to rise UP 
Feel the points of contact with the earth
Ground reaction force connecting you to your core
Practicing together in a community
Recognizing the light in yourself 
Seeing the same light in others
Tapping into your strength
To better prop up and support each other
 
Yoga - yoke, union, unity 
Connecting body, mind, & breath
with the Earth
with the divine
with all beings
 
Rooted and connected
With a Strong Foundation
 
Namaste
See you there

Theme for Power Lunch 12-1pm tomorrow: 
"High Noon"
(Monday 5/21
Yamoodles over Baby Mustard Greens
Topped with Yemaya's Delight
Sencha Cherry Rose Green Tea)
Maybe I watched too many silly Westerns this weekend while Jeremy was out of town…but the result is this flow. I’ll see you at Power Lunch at High Noon tomorrow! 
Tap into your strength, get on your hands, face fear with courage, and observe the present moment. Part of the charm of Wild West movies is watching the hero stand up for what is right, confronting challenges in life with courage and calm. Acceptance does not mean acquiescence, but rather a keen perception of the present moment as it is, in order to act with clarity and skill to face challenges head on. 
Here’s some wisdom from the East and the Wild West that inspired this flow:

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“Arjuna, the yogi is far superior to a hermit who withdraws from the world, to a scholar who understands everything but does nothing, or a householder who does everything without understanding.” – Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 6, Verse 46 (paraphrased by Devdutt Pattanaik, My Gita)

“Fight with honor. You will win.” – Chon Wang, Shanghai Noon

“A yogi looks within to appreciate the mind that occupies the body, the thoughts that occupy the mind, the fears that occupy the thoughts, the opportunities and threats that occupy the fears, and the fears of others that occupy those opportunities and those threats.” - Devdutt Pattanaik My Gita, pg 120

“Pride comes before a fall.” – Briscoe County Jr., The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr.

“Yoga brings awareness and attention to fear. By recognizing the reality of his own fears, the yogi is able to appreciate the fears of those around him. He observes why he withdraws and why those around him withdraw. He does not seek to amplify fear by trying to control people. He works towards comforting them, enabling them to outgrow their fear. Thus is born empathy and the ability to let go.” - Devdutt Pattanaik, My Gita, pg 120

“Will you listen to this creek, Chon? You never notice what a beautiful melody a creek makes. Never taken the damn time.” – Roy O’Bannon, Shanghai Noon

“Acceptance doesn’t, by any stretch of the imagination, mean passive resignation. Quite the opposite. It takes a huge amount of fortitude and motivation to accept what is—especially when you don’t like it—and then work wisely and effectively as best you possibly can with the circumstances you find yourself in and with the resources at your disposal, both inner and outer, to mitigate, heal, redirect, and change what can be changed.” – Jon Kabat Zinn, Coming to Our Senses, pg 407 

“It means your future hasn’t been written yet. No one’s has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one, both of you.” – Doc Brown, Back to the Future III